Is It Worth Getting an Attorney for a Car Accident?

Here’s Why It’s Worth Getting an Attorney After a Car Accident

There is much to be said about what a lawyer will do for you in their capacity as an attorney. However, their services are not the full extent of a lawyer’s value. You may also elect to hire a car accident attorney after the collision because:

A Lawyer Knows the State and Local Laws

Every state has laws governing car accident cases. These laws and rules can govern:

• What motorist behaviors violate the law or qualify as negligence
• Who must purchase auto insurance
• What minimum coverage limits motorists must purchase
• Whose auto insurance provider pays for an accident (a determination often based on fault for the collision)
• Who can be liable when an accident happens

Attorneys also know the law as it relates to lawsuits, insurance claims, and court cases. Rather than having to learn on the fly and handle the complicated legal and insurance webs that may follow your auto accident, rely on a lawyer’s extensive and existing knowledge base.

The Lawyer Understands Strategies Specific to Car Accident Cases

A lawyer has two primary options when seeking compensation for a car accident survivor, which are:

• Filing an insurance claim (which they may file with their own client’s insurer, another motorist’s insurer, or a liable third party’s insurer)
• Suing

Within these big-picture approaches, a lawyer may employ several strategies to succeed for their client. From negotiation tactics to cross-examination techniques at trial, your lawyer may use various legal strategies and approaches as they fight for the compensation you deserve.

The Lawyer Knows Insurance Companies (and How They Often Get the Best of Claimants)

The law explains that insurance companies can be financially punished for acting in bad faith. This law exists because, in many cases, insurance companies do act in bad faith.

Your attorney will have experience facing and overcoming insurers’ bad-faith tactics, which include:

• Denying the claim based on baseless or exaggerated grounds
• Misrepresenting the details of an insurance policy
• Refusing to cover specific losses that the claimant deserves compensation for
• Offering a lowball settlement (perhaps multiple times)

Personal injury lawyers deal with insurance representatives regularly, as it’s often insurance companies who owe the client compensation. Some attorneys even have backgrounds representing insurers. Such experience can be a great benefit to car accident survivors seeking money from one or more insurance providers.

The Lawyer Has Time, Energy, and Attention to Dedicate to the Case 

Most car accident victims who hire a lawyer have at least one injury. Injuries—especially serious ones—can sap the victim of time, energy, and the ability to focus on difficult tasks like insurance claims.

You may hire a lawyer because they have the time and ability to handle your case in the manner it should be. You should not be content to give half-effort when it comes to a potentially high stakes claim or lawsuit. Let a lawyer give their all to your case.

The Law Firm Pays for the Client’s Case

Car accident lawyers are known for using contingency fees, a type of fee structure in which:

• The firm covers the client’s case costs, including the cost of hiring any experts to contribute to the claim or lawsuit
• The lawyer’s fee is based on the case outcome, so they receive a percentage of any compensation they secure for the client
• The client pays no out-of-pocket fee or costs to the firm or lawyer under any circumstance

Put simply, your law firm will shoulder the financial risk associated with your case. They will understand you’re facing uncertain times, and they will be eager to lift the financial burden off you—in part because they feel good about their chances of success.

A Lawyer’s Services Are Central to Their Value After Your Car Accident

As you now know, there are many benefits to hiring a lawyer. From their experience to their low-risk fee structure and ability to put immense effort into your case, an attorney has undeniable value.

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The assistance a lawyer provides is worth exploring because these services are the primary reasons why most car accident victims hire their attorneys. Expect your attorney to:

Pursue Evidence (Right After You Hire Them)

Attorneys prioritize the collection of evidence because:

• It is critically important to prove who caused your accident, and they prove it using evidence
• Much evidence is time-sensitive in nature, and this includes witness testimony and video footage that can be erased or discarded not long after the accident
• If insurance companies or other liable parties try to deprive you of fair compensation, compelling evidence can make the difference

In addition to witness accounts and video, your lawyer may obtain a police report, photographs of relevant scenes, and an expert’s reconstruction of the accident.

Document Damages Caused by the At-Fault Party

Every car accident causes harm, and your lawyer will document the specific harm you have endured—and may face going forward. Car accident attorneys often communicate their clients’ damages with:

• Photographs, X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and other images of injuries
• Medical bills
• Doctors’ detailed descriptions of injuries and symptoms
• Mental health professionals’ evaluations of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, and accident-related substance abuse issues
• Bills from automotive technicians who repair a damaged car
• Valuations of the replacement cost of a totaled vehicle

The car accident victim themselves may provide valuable information about their damages. Often, the victim is best able to explain their day-to-day challenges in the aftermath of a serious collision.

Calculate the Cost of Your Damages

Your lawyer will determine exactly how much compensation you are entitled to. They will do this by calculating both the economic and non-economic damages you’ve suffered because of the collision.

Accident victims often need to reach a point of maximum medical improvement (MMI) before their attorney can determine the true value of their case. However, in certain instances—such as permanent disabilities—a lawyer must estimate the future cost of the client’s losses. In such cases, the lawyer projects future damages to ensure the client will not face future financial hardship.

Present  You With a Personalized Case Strategy

The most effective and client-focused car accident lawyers keep their clients informed at every turn of the case. After they have gathered the information and evidence they need, your lawyer may explain to you:

• How they plan to seek compensation for you (which, in many cases, starts by dealing with insurance companies)
• The reason why they’ve selected this course of action
• What potential roadblocks they can face (such as bad-faith tactics from insurers)
• What Plan B is, in the case that their initial plan does not lead to the financial recovery you deserve

If and when your lawyer needs to update their strategy, they will discuss the best strategies with you.

Pursue a Settlement

Lawyers sometimes advise clients to file a lawsuit as a first course of action. However, in most cases, lawyers grant insurance companies the opportunity to pay their client a fair settlement.

Any experienced attorney expects that insurance companies will lowball their client. This means that a negotiation will likely be necessary.

Lead a Lawsuit Against One or More Liable Parties 

There are several potential reasons to file a car accident lawsuit. Uninsured motorists, bad-faith tactics from insurers, and lowball settlement offers are among the reasons you might sue.

If you file a lawsuit, your attorney will:

• Draft the lawsuit (possibly with help from their paralegals)
• File the lawsuit in the proper legal venue
• Ensure all defendants are informed of their naming in the lawsuit
• Handle the steps that come after filing a lawsuit, which may include the continuation of settlement negotiations

Your lawyer’s goal will be to obtain fair compensation for you as soon as possible. While going to trial is an option, reaching a settlement agreement is generally the faster resolution.

Proceed to Trial (If Your Case Does Not Settle Beforehand)

Trial, can sometimes be the right course of action for a car accident victim. However, trials tend to be costlier, more time-consuming, and more high-stakes than resolving a case via settlement.

You and your attorney will communicate transparently. Your lawyer will explain the potential benefits and drawbacks of taking your case to court if the conversation becomes necessary.